FIFPro Online Academy

News

FIFPro Online Academy on Danish television

Two months ago FIFPro and UCN (University College Northern Denmark) started
with the FIFPro Online Academy.
The FIFPro Online Academy offers professional sportsmen and sportswomen an online bachelor course ‘Sport Management’. The online concept gives sportsmen and sportswomen the chance to receive a BA-degree in ‘Sport Management’ next to their active sports career.
Over 75 professional sportsmen and sportswomen applied to participate in the programme. After the application procedure and tests the FIFPro Online Academy started with 50 students from 10 different countries.

Brochure FIFPro Online Academy

Many professional footballers would like to combine their active football career with education. But where can you find an educational programme which will fit in with your active career? Because your football career should not have to suffer due to the hours you have to put into your educational programme! Training camps, matches abroad and injuries are just three examples of how important it is for you to be flexible. Traditional full time educational programmes simply cannot be combined with your football career.

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FIFPro’s Transnational Steering Group Education had a successful meeting in Dublin, Ireland. It managed to reach a cooperation agreement with the University College of Northern Denmark, UCN.

The Transnational Steering Group Education is working on the establishment of the FIFPro Online Academy. As a result of the agreement with UCN, the first class of footballers will start its study to become a Bachelor of Sport Management in September 2011.

‘Now it is up to the twelve players’ unions to find 25 to 50 players who want to join this class’, explained Frederique Winia, spokeswoman of the Steering Group. ‘All union representatives reacted very enthusiastic after the signing with UCN. They are happy and eager to recruit footballers for this study.’

The purpose of the FIFPro Online Academy is to ensure that young footballers in particular have opportunities to access training and education in vocational areas to help them gain employment at the end of their sporting careers. In total 12 FIFPro member unions in 11 EU Member States are participating in this project.

‘For a player, this study really offers the best of both worlds’, Winia continued. ‘They can keep on playing football, and they can study online at the moment they prefer. They can login whenever they want. That is the beauty of this system.’

SPINS meet the representatives of the government and found a partner in the project of on-line studying

Slovenian professional football players union (SPINS) and Slovenian
sports union (SŠS) had a meeting with the director of the Faculty of
Applied Social and Business Studies Maribor, so called DOBA. An
agreement on a partnership in the project of distance learning (e-learning)
for the athletes has been reached. The project will be assisted by the
Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology, and is expected
to begin operating in the beginning of the school year 2011/2012.

Boštjan Cesar, Slovenian national team player, decided to study again

After almost thirteen-years of an active career as an elite athlete, Boštjan Cesar, one of the key members of the Slovenian national football team, decided to return to the educational system, but this time in a little different way. With the help of
SPINS (Slovenian Professional Football players Union) and the SŠS (Slovenian Sports Union) he enrolled in a so-called educational system of on-line learning (e-learning).

Johan Absalonsen (photo © Elisa Franck)

Study4Player: a successful education project in Denmark

In 2007 the Danish Football Players Association, Spillerforeningen, started the
project Study4player. At least once a year every team in the professional clubs
in Denmark gets a visit from one of the Study4player officers offering individual
educational guidance and pointing out how it is actually possible to study besides
football. The life of a professional footballer doesn´t include the same range of
freedom as other people normally have but it does include a lot of spare time.
Therefore flexible studies makes it possible for a professional footballer to prepare
for a second career and that is exactly what Study4player provides by working
closely together with the educational institutions of Denmark on the basis
of written agreements.

Education stimulated by PFA Scotland

Since its formation in 2007, PFA Scotland has had a Full-Time Education Officer
in place as we fully recognise the need to support players to develop an
“exit strategy” from the game. PFA Scotland Education is not just about
supporting players to develop their educational attainment and gain qualifications,
but treats ‘education’ widely, as being just as much about providing players with
the support for the personal development they need as they make the important
transition from football to a career in an industry other than football. Players are
encouraged to become involved in education and training to acquire the skills
and qualifications needed to support their transition out of the game and to
enter a career outside football. In addition to formal education/ securing
qualifications etc, players are introduced to the additional, ‘employability’
skills they will require to secure employment out with football.

International Workshop, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Development of FIFPro On-Line Academy
Preparatory Action in the Field of Sport
13 & 14 July 2010
Grand Hotel Union, Ljubljana

Agenda:

Tuesday 13 July 2010

Arrival of participants

16.00-16.15
FIFPro: Welcome and opening remarks

16.15-17.45
Alan Irwin: presentation of the analyses of the questionnaires filled in by the players
Tony Higgins: presentation of the analyses of the questionnaires provided by individual partner unions

17.45-18.00 Break

18.00-19.00
Delegates: Discussion on the analyses of the questionnaires

Wednesday 14 July 2010

09.30-10.00
Bart Ooijen: Presentation DG Education & Culture

10.00-10.30
FIFPro and delegates (Romania, Slovenia and Ireland): Educational review

10.30-11.00
FIFPro: Website and publishing of articles
FIFPro: Presentation of DVD and brochures

11.00-11.15 Coffee break

11.15-12.00
FIFPro: Latest developments Birmingham University Proposal

12.00-12.30
FIFPro: Next steps.
Pilot run preparation for Dublin Workshop
Review process and model

12.30-13.00
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Questions

Closure

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The Transnational Steering Group Education is very optimistic after its second reunion, on Wednesday 9 June in Copenhagen, Denmark. All six members of this think tank had a first look at the results of a survey among players.

The Transnational Steering Group Education is working on the establishment of the FIFPro Online Academy. At a meeting earlier this year, the steering group had requested the twelve participating players’ associations to investigate the educational needs amongst footballers in their respective countries.

Players were asked what level of education they have already completed, if they are interested in an education, what level of education they prefer, what subjects they would like to study, and how much time and money they want to spend to get an education.

All twelve unions collected questionnaires from at least one hundred players in their country. ‘This is very positive’, reacted Frederique Winia, on behalf of the steering group. ‘With this kind of survey, it rarely happens that everyone reacts in time. That shows how interested and committed everybody is. This is a great impulse for the spirit of the steering group.’

All forms will be studied thoroughly before the next meeting of the steering group, on 13 and 14 July in Ljubljana, Slovenia. On that occasion this think tank will also discuss the questionnaires that were distributed among the twelve unions, with questions about for example their own experiences with education opportunities for players, and their expectations regarding the amount of interested players.